Buying Images and Discs Online:
Registering
Accepted Payment Methods
Corporate Accounts (Purchase Order Accounts)
Shipping Options
Downloading Single Images
Downloading Disc Purchases (also see Virtual Discs)
Return/Exchange Policy
Taxes and Duties
Prices and Currency
The Lightbox
The Shopping Cart
Previous Purchases
Placing an Order by Phone

About Images:
Royalty Free Explained
Comps
Watermarks
Media Types
File Formats
Resolutions
File Sizes and Compression

About Discs:
CDs and DVDs
Virtual Discs

Searching:
Searching for Images/Discs
Searching by Keyword
Searching by Disc
Requesting Free Research

Using the Images:
License
Compatible Software
Copyright
Model and Property Releases

Image Submissions
CD Publishers Wanted
Photographers and Illustrators Wanted

Buying Images and Discs Online:

Registering
To take full advantage of all the site features (Ex. Lightbox, Shopping Cart, etc.), we recommend you take a few moments to register yourself or your company online. After you register, you can sign in again at anytime to make further changes to your contact information, review past purchases and access other areas of the site unique to your account. Please note: You must be registered to make purchases on Artzooks.com.
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Accepted Payment Methods
Artzooks.com accepts VISA, MasterCard and American Express credit cards. Any registered user is welcome to use these cards to pay for their purchase. Please note: Artzooks.com does not retain credit card information on file. If you wish to make a second purchase transaction, we will require you to re-enter your credit card information. If you find yourself making frequent purchases, you may want to consider opening a corporate account with us.
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Corporate (Purchase Order) Accounts
If you find yourself with an ongoing requirement for images, it may be more convenient to open an Artzooks Corporate Account. Corporate Account holders enjoy many benefits such as the ability to buy products with a purchase order (Net 30 days), volume discounts, more specials, extra incentives and the convenience of being able to deal directly with a personal account representative.
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Shipping Options
Upon verification of any digital order (single images or virtual discs), your images will be made available for download from your personal account area. Physical products (such as CDs and DVDs) will be shipped next day and usually take anywhere from 5 to 14 days to arrive. Please note that digital delivery may not be immediately available for orders placed after 8pm, EST. There may also be restrictions related to the location from where your order originates. Please contact us if you require further information on our shipping policies.
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Downloading Single Images
Upon verification of your order (which usually takes only a few moments between 8am to 8pm, EST), your single image purchases will be made available for download from your personal account area. Click on the link “My Single Image Purchases” to access thumbnails of the images you purchased. Select the “Download” button below each of these thumbnails to save the original files to your hard drive. Please note: Purchased images in your personal account will only be available for 60 days from the time of purchase. If you require digital delivery of your images after this period, a $25 service will apply.
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Downloading Disc Purchases (also see Virtual Discs)
Upon verification of your order (which usually takes only a few moments between 8am to 8pm, EST), the entire contents of your purchased discs (CD, DVD or Virtual) will be made available for download from your personal account area. Click on the link “My Disc Purchases” to access thumbnails of all the images belonging to each disc title purchased. Select the “Download” button below each of these thumbnails to save the original files to your hard drive. If you require all images to be sent to you at one time, you can request this from this same area. Please note: Purchased images and discs in your personal account will only be available for 60 days from the time of purchase. If you require digital delivery of your images after this period, a $25 service will apply.
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Return/Exchange Policy
When placing your order, please be careful. Artzooks does not offer returns or refunds on any digital purchase. Artzooks will however promptly replace product which is deemed to be damaged or non-functional. Please contact us should you require customer service of this nature.
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Taxes and Duties
Artzooks.com is based out of Ontario, Canada. As such we are obliged to collect Provincial Sales Tax (PST) on purchases that originate from Ontario, and GST from all other orders originating from the rest of Canada. For orders originating outside of Canada, we do not collect duties or taxes.
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Prices and Currency
All prices shown on Artzooks.com are posted in US dollars. Because we are a Canadian-based company, orders taken on our site must first be converted to Canadian dollars and then back again to US dollars. Due to currency fluctuations, it is normal to note slight discrepancies between the amount invoiced and the amount charged to your credit card. If you have questions about this, please feel free to contact us.
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The Lightbox
Think of the Lightbox as a personal folder where you can conveniently store images. There is no obligation to buy anything that you place in your Lightbox, and no restriction as to how many you can place there. Its purpose is simply to make it more convenient for you to revisit images that you may have come across previously and want to set aside for possible use at some point in the future. To add items to your Lightbox, click on the “Lightbox” icon which appears directly under every image thumbnail. To remove items from your Lightbox, click on the “Delete” icon which appears directly under each of the thumbnails.
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The Shopping Cart
Before checking out to complete a purchase, you first need to add items to your shopping cart. These items can be digital (Ex. images, virtual discs, etc.) or physical (CDs, DVDs, etc.). To place items into your shopping cart, simply look for the little “Shopping Cart” icon which appears under every image thumbnail. Depending on where you are on Artzooks.com, you may also see this option appear as a button or hyperlink characterized by a text instruction such as “Buy this…” or “Add to Cart”. You may also remove items from your shopping cart by clicking on the appropriate hyperlinks. Items placed in your shopping cart will remain there indefinitely until such time as you either complete a purchase (check out) or remove the items manually.
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Previous Purchases
A record of prior purchases, along with the ability to print invoices, purchase orders and other related documents exists in your personal account area which can be accessed simply by signing in and following the appropriate links.
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Placing an Order by Phone
Officially, phone representatives are available between 8am to 6pm, EST. Unofficially, you may often catch us working outside of those hours. Regardless of when you get in touch, we are more than happy to talk with you and stand ready to assist you with the placement of orders, free research or simply making ourselves available to answer your questions. If in North America, please call us toll-free at 1.866.644.1644, elsewhere 1.613.258.1551. You can also reach us by email.
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About Images:

Royalty Free Explained
Stock images are typically sold in one of two configurations – “rights managed” or “royalty free”. With “rights managed” images, you pay a fee based on intended use. Intended use is defined by many complex factors such as location, size of market, type of publication or project, print run, how long you’ll need the image, etc. With “royalty free”, it’s a one time payment to use the image as many times as you like, for as long as you like. Of course “royalty free” doesn’t exactly give you free license to do whatever you like (for example, you can’t resell the images as your own or use them on products where the images themselves are the main selling feature), but in general the licenses (which you should still familiarize yourself with and respect) are far less restrictive and prices much lower and easier to identify, especially on a site such as Artzooks.com.
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Comps
Comps are slightly larger (but not print-ready) versions of image files sold on Artzooks.com. They are free for download, but can only be used for the expressed purpose of placing into a layout or design prior to final approval. These images cannot be incorporated into your final project, and are meant only to give you, your colleagues and/or your clients an idea of how your project might look before committing to purchase. Please note: All comps distributed from Artzooks.com are marked with both a visual and digital watermark. Registered users will note the presence of a smaller less-intrusive watermark on their comps. To take advantage of these comps, please register.
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Watermarks
Watermarks appear only on the medium-sized image previews and downloadable comps. They do not appear on actual images purchased from Artzooks.com.
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Media Types
Artzooks sells many different types of image files: Stock Photography (photos of real life people, places and things), Stock Illustrations (drawings or illustrations which originate as either traditional media, which are scanned and cleaned, or as digital artwork created on a computer using popular graphics software such as Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Painter, etc.), Clip Art (vector-based line art) and Photo Objects (essentially photographs of people, objects and things which have been clipped from their surrounding environment and placed on a plain white background).
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File Formats
These are the file formats you will encounter at Artzooks.com:

• EPS (Encapsulated Postscript Files) - Used to store highest-quality vector data. Buy this format if you intend to send output to a Postscript or compatible printer. EPS files can be opened in all major graphics programs.
• WMF (Windows Metafiles) - Used to store high-quality vector data. Buy this format if you intend to output to a non-Postscript printer, and/or plan to use your images in documents generated by Microsoft applications (Ex. Word, Publisher, Excel, etc.)
• JPG/JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) – Compressed image file format used to store bitmap data such as photographs and scanned illustrations. Artzooks makes JPG files available in multiple configurations, ranging from low-resolution (72dpi) for web quality to high-resolution (300dpi) for print quality. Note: JPG/JPEG files are compressed and as such typically result in data files that are approximately one tenth of their original file size (Example: An image indicated as being 40MB in size, will more likely be delivered to you as a 4MB compressed JPG)
• TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) – Uncompressed image file format used to store bitmap data such as photographs and scanned illustrations. TIFF files are usually presented as a high resolution (300dpi) option suitable for print.
• GIF (Graphic Interchange Format) - Used by Artzooks to store animated images that can be displayed through popular web browsers such as IE and Netscape.
• WAV - Used by Artzooks to store sound files. Artzooks WAV's are typically stored at 44,100 kHz, 16-bit Stereo, CD-Quality.
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Resolutions
For the bitmap formats sold on Artzooks (JPG, TIFF) image resolution is stated in dots-per-inch (dpi). With the exception of low resolution files (72dpi - intended mainly for use in web documents), most medium and high bitmap files are stored at 300dpi, which will deliver excellent results in both print and electronic documents. Other formats, such as vector EPS and WMF images will provide the sharpest results that your output device (ex. printer) is capable of producing.
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File Sizes and Compression
Approximate file sizes for each available resolution are posted in the image details pages. In general, low resolution images typically fall into the 1MB or less range, medium resolution images between 10-12MB, and high resolution images about 40MB. For JPG images, it is important to know that the actual file size is usually about one tenth of the posted file size, and this is because of the fact that JPG files take advantage of built in file compression. A 40MB JPG in actuality will be delivered in the form of a 4MB download.
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About Discs:

CDs and DVDs
Most of the image files found on Artzooks.com can also be found as part of a set originating from a CD or DVD title. Depending on the brand, some titles may contain as few as 20 images while others may feature several hundred. For maximum value, take time to look at the CD or DVD title from which any single image is derived from, as chances are good that you may find something else of additional interest. When you buy any disc, CD or DVD, you will be able to immediately download the contents of that disc while waiting for the actual physical disc to arrive at your doorstep.
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Virtual Discs
Virtual Discs are distinguishable from physical CDs or DVDs only in that there is no physical disc component. Virtual Discs (sometimes referred to as VCDs on our site) come in many of the same configurations as regular titles and are available for immediate download upon purchase. Since there is no actual disc to ship, there are obviously no shipping charges to worry about.
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Searching:

Searching for Images/Discs by Keyword
Searching for images on Artzooks.com is easy. Simply type into the search bar (located at the top of each page) a word or short phrase related to the subject matter you are interested in. If for example you type “Birds”, the search engine will return a mix of single images and disc titles identified with “Birds”. You can investigate any of these results further by clicking on the thumbnails and corresponding text links. If the results returned are too numerous, you may choose to refine your search by performing additional keyword searches from within the initial results. Type in “Cage” in the “Refine Search” area, and the end result will be images and discs that contain both “Bird” and “Cage” as part of their metadata set.
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Advanced Keyword Search
If you feel the need to perform very targeted searches, use the “Advanced Search” page, which contains many options for filtering and limiting your search results. Advanced Search provides you with the ability to limit searches to your choice of brands/vendors, media (image) types, color types, orientation, etc.
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Search by Lists
If you would like to conduct hierarchical searches for disc titles, you can do this easily by visiting the publisher profile page for each of the vendors represented on our site. Disc titles are linked by alphabetical order, making it convenient for you to jump directly to any title of interest. When you see a title that looks interesting, click on the link to examine its contents and check the price.
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Other Ways to Find Images (“Similars”)
Some images, particularly those of an illustrative nature are often grouped together by “Style”. Occasionally these “Styles” may even cross over one or more brands. If on the image details page, you see a link “Get More in this Style”, then you’ll know that there are other images in the archive which share a similar visual look and feel to the one you are currently looking at. This can be especially useful when trying to group a series of like-images for a particular project. Click the link to retrieve these similar images.
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Requesting Free Research
Sometimes it’s simply impossible to find the right image. Either the keywords you’re entering aren’t generating the right results, or perhaps you can’t even think of an appropriate word or phrase to describe the concept you are trying to communcate. That’s where our “Free Research” service comes in. Without obligation, you can complete our Free Research request form or call us toll-free to talk to a customer service representative. We would be delighted to help you, and there is no obligation to buy from Artzooks.com under any circumstance.
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Using the Images:

“Royalty Free” Defined
All of the images sold on Artzooks.com are sold on a “Royalty Free” basis. What this means in general terms is that you are free to use the image for as long as you like, however many times you like, as long as your usage falls within the parameters of each vendor’s individual license agreement (see next section). Of course “Royalty Free” images aren’t really “Free” in the literal sense of the word, but they are considerably more affordable than “Rights Managed” imagery where there are often far more restrictions and limits on usage, or hiring a professional photographer (whose fees could run into the thousands).
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License
Each of the vendors represented on Artzooks.com have their own individual License Agreements, which you should endeavor to familiarize yourself with before finalizing any purchase. When you buy images from Artzooks, you are only buying a license to use the image within the context of these agreements. Most License Agreements are fairly broad and allow you to do a lot with the images you purchase. Notable things you cannot do include: copyrighting any derivative form of the image, reselling the image, reselling products for profit where the images themselves are the primary selling feature (Ex. Calendars, T-Shirts, Mugs, etc.). Again, refer to each vendor’s specific License (see link at bottom of each page “End User License Agreement”) for more information about what you can and cannot do with the images you purchase from Artzooks.com.
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Compatible Software
The file formats sold on Artzooks.com are compatible with most commercially available graphics software packages on both the Mac and Windows platforms. We suggest the following software packages for use with each of the following formats.

• Adobe Photoshop (JPG, TIFF, EPS)
• Adobe InDesign (JPG, TIFF, EPS
• Adobe Illustrator (EPS)
• Macromedia Freehand (EPS)
• Macromedia Dreamweaver (JPG)
• Microsoft Word, Front Page, Publisher, etc. (WMF, JPG)
• CorelDRAW (EPS)
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Copyright
The vendors represented on Artzooks appreciate (but don’t generally require) you to add a copyright acknowledgement when using their images. We suggest however that you refer to the individual License Agreements for specific policies re. the use and indication of copyrights.
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Model and Property Releases
To the best of our knowledge all depictions of people and places have been cleared for usage by the vendors represented on our site. Artzooks does not maintain copies of the original Model and Property Releases, but can put you in touch with the appropriate vendor should you find yourself requiring this additional level of reassurance.

Image Submissions

CD Publishers Wanted
Artzooks.com currently represents approximately fifty of the world’s top image suppliers. If you feel your image collection belongs amongst this group, drop us a line and we will be happy to discuss placing your images for sale on our site. Please note: At this time Artzooks is only accepting submissions from vendors whose collections are also available on either CDs, DVDs or Virtual Discs. If you have a substantial collection of images, please contact us re. other possibilities for marketing your images through our site.
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Photographers and Illustrators Wanted
The Artzooks brand is renowned in the creative community for quality and a commitment to excellence. We are currently looking to form partnerships with illustrators and photographers who would like to have their images marketed under and associated with a highly marketable brand name. If this opportunity is of interest to you, please complete this submission form.
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